02/11/2010

San Diego Craft Beer Valentine’s Day Weekend

In their own unique style—Blind Lady Ale House on Adams Ave. will be preparing, by hand, oysters, lobster and in their words “lip-staining beets.” Also expect to see some delicious desserts prepared by Rachel. To complement their culinary treats, Blind Lady will be serving AleSmith’s “My Bloody Valentine”. This seasonal “blood-red” hoppy beer weighing-in with a tantalizing 6.66% alcohol content will be offered in AleSmith flights from both keg and cask. Other AleSmith flight selections will include “Lil Devil”, “Speedway Stout”, “AleSmith X”, “Nautical Brown” and on Sunday, “Decadence ’09!” And speaking of Sunday additions, Russian River’s “Pliny the Younger”, a remarkable Imperial India Pale Ale from Santa Rosa, CA will be tapped at 9 pm on Sunday the 14th

Hamilton’s Tavern will be celebrating with not one but two AleSmith brews on cask; “My Bloody Valentine” and “AleSmith IPA!” Also on regular CO2 taps from AleSmith will be: “Barrel Aged Speedway Stout”, “Decadence ’09” (a Dunkel Weizenbock), “AleSmith IPA”, “My Bloody Valentine”, “Speedway Stout”, “Horny Devil”, “Lil Devil”, “Grand Cru”, “Wee Heavy”, “AleSmith X”, “Anvil ESB”, “Old Numbskull”, and “Nautical NutBrown.” Wow! Along with AleSmith beers, Hamilton’s will have a complimentary BBQ on Saturday featuring an assortment of foods infused with AleSmith beers. They will also have live music by Jon Kanis. In addition, Hamilton’s will have their regular happy hour from 5-8 pm daily including $1 off all local San Diego area draft beer as well as free billiards on Sunday.

Ritual Tavern will offer an AleSmith pairing dinner with two seatings – 5 pm and 8 pm – on Valentine’s Day. These four-course dinners will be paired with AleSmith beers including cask-conditioned “My Bloody Valentine.” Cost for either seating is $50/person and reservations are required.

San Diego Brewing Company will also feature an AleSmith Valentine’s Day dinner pairing. Six courses paired with six excellent AleSmith brews will be available for those who reserve the 6 pm dinner. The cost is $50/person and once again, reservations are required. And yes, “My Bloody Valentine” on cask will be one of the beer pairings!

The Taproom will also be offering AleSmith’s “My Bloody Valentine” on cask for Saturday the 13th along with food pairings.

Starting Friday with AleSmith’s “My Bloody Valentine” (seems to be a trend here!), Stone will be concocting delicious dinner delectable’s including desserts crafted by Chef Andrew. Also at Stone, live harp music, a perfect way to swoon your sweetheart, will be played from 5-8 pm on Sunday only!

This festival will take place at the Pizza Port Beer Gardens on Saturday the 13th from noon until dark and will showcase 20 handcrafted beers from local breweries including a special Pizza Port Pink beer! A $20 donation will benefit the Keep a Breast Foundation and includes a custom Brewbies Pint Glass, four 6-oz. tasters and a raffle ticket. Additional tasters and raffle tickets are available for a small purchase.

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Next Week…The next “DrinkAbout” is scheduled next Wednesday, February 17th. Four hours of free transportation, thanks to Brewery Tours of San Diego, will run from 7-11 pm, and will include stops at Blind Lady Ale House, Small Bar, Live Wire, Toronado, Sea Rocket, The Station, Hamilton’s and Ritual Tavern. This is a great way to get around to some of San Diego’s most popular taverns without having to worry about driving or parking! Come down and give DrinkAbout a try – it’s a great way to have dinner, some drinks, and socialize.